In China, Hillary Gets Tough on North Korea, Syria, and Iran

When she isn't the subject of an odd "kiss" story with blind Chinese dissidents, Hillary Clinton actually has a real job to do and it means laying down the law for Chinese officials about North Korea, Iran and Syria--which is what she did today in Beijing.

If you've been following, China and the United States haven't really been on the same page on Syria ( in February China had vetoed a U.N. resolution along with Russia which delayed U.N. involvement in the area), so enter the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue which, according to Reuters, "was meant to highlight growing cooperation between the world's two largest economies, often portrayed as potential future adversaries."

Or it could just be called the Hillary Show, as the Secretary of State tackled big topics like encouraging reforms in North Korea, Chinese involvement in cyber warfare, and pressuring China to take action against Iran and Syria. "Now it's critical that the international community - including China and the United States - hold the [Bashar al-Assad] regime accountable for its commitments," Clinton said (pretty diplomatically if you ask us). "The credibility of the [Security] Council is at stake."

Of course, if you're looking for any hint of a Chen Guangcheng connection, you could run with her comments about China's human rights situation. "These are not Western values -- they are universal rights that apply to all people in all places," Clinton said.

News reports are focusing on the Germanwings pilot's possible depression, following a familiar script in the wake of mass killings. But the evidence shows violence is extremely rare among the mentally ill.